And the Fire Crackles...
by Harlequin1
Summary: Val, now nine, runs away to the woods after Filia yells at him. There he jumps, literally, into the arms of a very familiar purple-haired man. First Slayers fic, so please be kind! r/r!


Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers.

A/N: Hiya! This is my very first Slayers story, and I can't wait to make more. Since it's my first Slayers fic, and in my other fics I ramble on and on in the A/N, I decided I shall shut-up for once and just let you read the fic. Don't forget to review! It makes me happy ^^ 

  
  


And the Fire Crackles...

  
  


" Val!! VAL!! Come back here!!" A voice calls out into the night. It reaches me, who was running into the darkness, and even though it was indeed my name that the voice was calling, I don't stop. Tears stream down my face as I run through the town. As I run down the alleys. As I run out through the main gates, to the outside fields. As I run to the dark, forbidding woods. I run and run as fast as my feet would take me, ducking every so often to avoid the many hanging branches. I run and I run, till the glowing lights of the town which I live in were no longer visible.

I stop, my feet too tired to take me any further. Looking around, I survey my surroundings. It was quite dark, almost pitch black. If it wasn't for the full moon tonight, I wouldn't be able to find my way. The woods were peaceful, yet I still felt a shiver. Must be a breeze...I can't possibly be scared. *CRASH!* Lightning streaks the skies and, with a squeal, I immediately encircle my arms around myself and tightly close my eyes.

Ok, so maybe I am a little jumpy. But nevertheless, I am not going back! I had decided that I shall live in the woods and become friends with the animals, like in all of those stories my mother tells me. Mother....at least out here no one will get mad at me! Hmph, who needs her. I certainly don't! *CRASH*

" AHHHHHH!!!" I let out a scream and get down on the ground, hands covering my head as I hide my eyes. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea....

I get up, and brush off the leaves that had attached themselves to me. I can't be scared, I remind myself, if I'm going to be on my own. I look around again, and randomly picked a direction to go in. Calmly I walk *CRASH* ok, RUN through the woods, turning and twisting through the maze of trees. 

I guess I must have been running really fast, because soon enough, I crash into something, and fall backwards into a pile of leaves. Ow...that hurt! I look up and find....and find...I can't really tell, but whatever it was, it was alive. Alive and tall, I notice, as it stands up and rubs it's head. I guess I must have slammed into it so hard that it fell to the ground also. I now see that whatever it was, is coming over here....I try not to panic...*CRASH*

" AHHH!!!!" So much for not panicking. So panicked, in fact, that I jump right into the "it"s arms. 

" Why what do we have here?" It was a man! My eyes widen as I scramble around in his arms, trying to get away. He only holds me tighter.

" Now, now, no use squirming." I only squirmed harder...it didn't work. I gave up.

" Good little boy." The man ruffled my hair, I hate it when people do that. He sets me down on my feet gently.

" Now, what is a little boy like you doing out here in the dark woods all by yourself?" I barely make out the man's features, but I can sense that he was smiling at me. This was making me nervous.

" I'm not suppose to talk to strangers." I keep my stance and pretend not to be scared. The man chuckles at my answer. He then kneels to my height, and places his hands on my shoulders.

" Well now, if you tell me your name, then we won't be strangers now will we?" I take my hand and scratch my head in confusion. He was right after all...if I tell him my name, then we won't be strangers. But somehow, in the back of my mind, this doesn't seem right. A nagging feeling that is telling me to be careful around this man. I push it back. I am, after all, on my own now. I can take care of myself.

" Val." Even though it is dark, I can see the man shift immediately. As if he was disturbed by my answer...strange...

" Val, eh?" Once again, I can feel him smile down at me. 

" Well, Val, shall we start a fire? Maybe get to know one another? It is a rather cold night." I nod my head slowly. I still don't trust this man, it is best for me to take caution. But a simple chat didn't seem so dangerous....so I let him take my hand.

He leads me through many bushes and trees, and as I hold onto him, I can get a better look of him. Though he was still somewhat shadowed, I could make out a cape. Oh! And a large staff that he held in his free hand. My eyes widen in curiosity. The staff was twice my height, and held a very strange looking red orb that seemed to glimmer, even in this darkness...

I turn my focus on the man, as I realized that we had stopped. A clearing was before me, just enough room for him, a fire, and I. Ah, a fire. I couldn't wait, it was so cold out here. Even my hands were practically icicles.

" Ah, here is a spot!" I hear him tell me. This seemed too weird. We just happen to come upon a perfect spot? 

" Um...we still need a fire, mister, I'm getting cold." I tell him, and rub my hands together to show him that I am indeed cold. He looks down to me, and lets go of my hand. He then proceeds to snap his fingers. Nothing. I let out a giggle. Was this guy for real? I turn to him." You can't make a fire with a snap of your fingers! You have to have wood, and a match of some sort!" I tell him in a factual tone. He only points his staff to the middle of the clearing. I look to where he points, arms crossed, and can't believe my eyes. There before me, is a small fire! No wood, no nothing! I run to the middle of the clearing, and put my hands to the fire, as if to test it to see if it was real. I immediately feel warmth.

" Hey mister! How did you do that!? Are you a magician or something?!" I ask him, fully excited now. The fire now making me visible to him, though he is still shadowed. I motion for him to come nearer, so that I could see him. He does, and the sight that greeted me made my mind race. He looked familiar...but from where, I don't know. Confused as to how I could know him, I take a closer look. 

His face was cheerful. Closed eyes and a smile. The cheery face was framed with purple hair, and the cape, that I had noticed earlier, was indeed black. And there, in his gloved hand, was the miraculous staff. He sets his staff to lean on a nearby tree, and sits down across from me. 

" Now that is a secret!" I frown. I really wanted to know how he did that! It would have come in handy, especially in scaring mother. I grin evilly at the thought. Of course, I think, I wouldn't want to scare her a lot...only when she was mad at me and tells me to go to my room. 

But then my evil grin faded into a troubled line. I WON'T scare my mom anymore...I'm not going to see her anymore...

" Something wrong, kid?" My head snaps up from watching the fire to the man. I shake my head.

" Nope, just thinking of where I'm going to live..." He arches an eyebrow.

" You don't have a family?" I shake my head again.

" I do, but you see, I ran away." His smile widens, if it could get any wider.

" Ah, I see! Good idea!" Wait...good idea? Who is this guy?

" Um...yeah...you see I ran away from my mother." 

I stare at the fire, stretching my hands to it. I can see the man watching me from the corner of my eye.

" Mother? Who is your mother?" 

" Do you know of the town on the outskirts of this forest?" I ask him. He nods his head, his purple bangs shadowing over his closed eyes.

" Well, my mother is the owner of the Tea and Pottery shop, her name is Filia. Filia Ul Copt."

Suddenly, the man's smile turns somewhat into a smirk, and he opens one eye. He lets out a laugh, and I stare at him in confusion.

" Filia, eh? She sounds dreadful already." He then closes his eye, and resumes on with his cheery expression. Immediately, my eyes narrow, and anger fills me. How could he say that?! He doesn't even know her!

" She is not dreadful!" He crosses his arms and looks away, as if uninterested in my angry reply.

" Well then, if she is not dreadful, why did you run away?" I was about to reply, still angry, when what he said sunk in. Why did I run away then? I mean, I was mad at her...but not because she was dreadful....more because she didn't pay attention to me...

" Because she doesn't pay attention to me a lot, always tending the store....and when she does pay attention, it's usually spent yelling at me." He turns his head to me, and somehow looks satisfied.

" As I thought, a dreadful sounding woman." I don't argue this time and just let it be. Since we sit in silence for awhile, with the fire crackling before us, he decides to continue.

" So, now that you have decided to run away, where will you run to?" I shyly hide my eyes.

" I...don't know yet....ehehehe....he...he.." I laugh nervously. This is embarrassing! A boy as old as me running away....and not even knowing where I am running to...

He opens up his eyes, both for once, and stares at me with shock.

" You ran away....and you don't know where your going?" I nod, and he blinks. "Well, this IS a problem now isn't it?" I nod again.

" Well," he started, "you could run to Saillune, I do hear it is nice this time of year. Or you could stay here...all by yourself, in the deep, dark woods..." I tremble. Suddenly my idea of living in the forest didn't seem as inviting as before. I feel a twinge of fear, and even though I try to hide it, the man picks up on it right away.

He opens his eyes once again, looking at me through purple bangs. This time, I feel that his smile is less cheery, and more villainess. As if he could feel my fear, and he was enjoying it...

" Are you scared, little Val?" his voice asks me in a whisper.

I shake my head quickly, and try to keep a straight face. He closes his eyes again and disappears. I turn my head, and nervously glance around. Nothing. I gulp. I stand up, and immediately feel fear wash through my body. 

" M-Mister?....Hey Mister?!"

Nothing...absolutely nothing! He left me! I shiver as I hear a howl. I glance at the full moon, which now more resembles a graveyard then a source of light. And as I focused my attention to the large moon, I hear footsteps. I freeze. Someone is coming. I slow my breathing and I feel my heart beginning to race. It came nearer, as the crunching sounds of leaves became louder. I couldn't run! Then whoever it was, or whatever it was, would know I was here and immediately chase after me! No. I must stand still and not make a sound that would attract attention. The footsteps stop. I can't tell where they are, so I keep still.

I feel a cold hand clasp my shoulder! I scream as loud as I can, my voice echoes throughout the once quiet forest. I turn around and find....a cheery expression smiling back at me. It's him...I could have sworn my heart had stopped, and is now beating back to it's normal pace. I glare at the smiling man.

" Don't do that!" I raise my voice a little, and narrow my eyes to show him that I was indeed annoyed. He only pats my head, which gets me more angry.

" Don't do that either!" I comb my fingers fiercely through my green hair, while he sits down again, only this time next to me.

" Ne, ne....I thought you weren't scared, little Val?" He asks mockingly.

" I-I'm not!"

" Ah, but you are!" He points at me, and I look down to see myself visibly shaking. 

" I-I'm just cold, that's all!" He looks at me, then silently takes off his gloves, one by one. I watch him with wide eyes as he offers them to me.

" Here, put these on, they'll keep your hands warm." I quickly slip them on and immediately my hands feel warmer. I smile and thank him. 

" S-so," I started, still shaken up from his disappearing act, " what were we talking about?" He picks up a stick and throws it into the fire, watching it burn. 

" I believe we were talking about your mother." I raise an eyebrow. Were we talking about her? I am too jumpy to remember, so I trust his answer.

" Oh, we were? Well, alright, my mother is Filia Ul Copt. Did I say that already?" He nods.

" You were telling me about how dreadful she was. And why you ran away..." Oh yes, now I remember. He had assumed my mother was dreadful and I had rejected the idea, but finally gave in when he repeated his opinion.

" Hmm, what else can I tell you about her? Oh yeah, she has a very short-temper! Sometimes, she gets so mad that I hide in the cupboards." The man laughs, as if he knew something I didn't, and turns to face me.

" If I had a mother that wielded a weapon, then I, too, would hide." I stop staring at the fire, and turn my gaze onto him, eyes wide. How did he know? 

" How did you know she has Mace-sama?" He tilts his head and quickly answers.

" Mazoku intuition!" Mazoku!?! He's a Mazoku!? 

" You're a Mazoku!?!" Once again, he throws a piece of wood into the fire, and answers quickly. 

" Of course not. Would you think that a Mazoku would help a little boy out?" I scratch my head and think. This man DID answer quickly, and that wouldn't have given him enough time to carefully think out what he said. Another thing, I note, is that he said his answer calmly and with incredible ease, which leads me to believe he is telling the truth. 

" .....no....I guess not...." He grins at me. 

" Do you not like Mazoku?" I let out a giggle. He arches his eyebrows.

" What's so funny?" He asks me. I only giggle more. Finally, I sober from giggling and give him an answer.

" Mazoku?! Who likes them?! They are no good evil monsters who have nothing better to do with their lowly lives then to cause pain in others." He twitches, and I look at him in a questioning way.

" Ah, I can guess that your mother is rather passionate in teaching you about Mazoku." His smile looks forced now, I notice.

" Um, I guess you could say that.....but it's a fact that Mazoku are evil."

" Indeed! They are horrid creatures!" He tells me in mock anger, chuckles to himself, then continues, "Now back to why you ran away...." I let out a deep sigh.

" Well, you see mister....what was your name? I don't believe you have told me yet, and you look awfully familiar....do I know you?" He shifts but keeps his smile plastered to his face. 

" You may call me Mr. Metallium. Do you still believe you have met me before now, little Val?"

" No....I've never met a Mr. Metallium before, but you still look like a person I have seen before-" Mr. Metallium interrupts me.

" Now about why you ran away..." He leaves off the sentence in a way to tell me to continue with what we were talking about earlier. 

"...I made her really mad today...and, I just couldn't take it, so I ran away. What else is there to tell?"

" Lots. Like how you made her mad and the such." I turn to him again and narrow my eyes.

" Mr. Metallium, I have talked and talked about me, I'm tired, so let's talk about YOU." He opens one eye and points his index finger to the sky.

" Now what goes on in my life...is a secret!" I shrug my shoulders in defeat, not even trying to make him tell me about himself. It's useless. So instead, I just go on about today.

" Alright. My mother was doing business as usual, and I felt like playing. But of course, mother was too busy to play with me...." I pause, and see that Mr. Metallium is actual listening to me. I smile and continue.

" So I decided to go exploring, but what's fun about exploring if there are no new places to explore?" I ask him, he nods his head.

" Oh, nothing at all." I smile again.

" That is why I decided to go to the one room my mother forbids me to enter."

" Why is it forbidden? What's inside the room? Evil black magic books that contain spells which can destroy all things good and forever blanket the world with darkness?" He seems excited. I put my finger to my chin and think. 

" Um...no...but the room does contain my mother's newest hobby." He face faults.

" And what is that?"

" Oh, paintings." He opened his eyes and looked at me, somewhat shocked.

" You have got to be kidding!" I shake my head, he laughs. 

" As I was saying, I decided to go into the forbidden room-" I hear him snicker again. I continue, "And it was filled with paintings, of people that is."

" Do you know who these people are?"

" Most of them," I explain, "Like there are paintings of a red-haired girl, she comes to the shop sometimes...I believe her name is Lina." Mr. Metallium grins and closes his eyes again.

" Anyone else?" he asks.

" There is a blonde swordsman....Oh! And a young dark-haired girl! She's awfully pretty." " Why doesn't your mother let you see these paintings?" I blink.

" I don't know...maybe because she's afraid I'll ruin them or something. She spends all of her free time just working on them, I wonder why she won't sell them....Maybe she loves them too much."

" Or maybe she doesn't want to forget her past..." I blink again and give him a questioning glance. 

" Maybe....I don't know. Back to my story, I opened the room, and went exploring. I found many paintings, some of the people I have mentioned, and some of me when I was little. I noticed, while I was in there, that there seemed to be something behind one of her drawers, as if hidden on purpose. So being the explorer that I am, I took a closer look. It was a painting, and it was indeed hidden well, for it took me a few pulls to actually get it out."

" And what was it a painting of?" I pause....He glances at me and motions for me to continue.

" I didn't have a chance to look, for that was when mother found me and yelled at me, before I ran to the woods, but I did see a name painted on it..." I tell him, he glances at me, curious.

" Well, little Val, what was the name?"

" It was Xellos...have you heard of him?" Mr. Metallium nodded his head.

" Yes, of course. He is very powerful, and a Mazoku priest I believe." 

" Yeah....I hear my mother talk a lot about him when Lina comes." I see his ears perk up.

" Really? So your mother knows Xellos?" 

" Yes, I believe so, at least, that's what I gather from listening in on Lina and mother's talks."

" Ah, I see. So what does your mother think of the man who wiped out half of her race, probably hates him, ne?" He looks extremely interested in what I am going to say next, but instead I say nothing at all. I just stand up. Mr. Metallium looks at me, confused.

" Your leaving?" I nod my head.

" Thanks for talking with me, Mr. Metallium, but I believe I should head home." He opens his eyes again, I believe for the third time, and stares at me questionably. 

" Your going back? But, I thought you were running away, little Val?"

" No, thinking and talking with you has made me realize that I really shouldn't have gone into that room...it was really my fault, not mother's. I would miss her...so I decided that I shall go back before she sends out a search team or something." He chuckles and nods his head.

" Fine, go on. I won't keep you any longer."

" Thank you Mr. Metallium," I hesitate, before finishing my sentence, "...and...she doesn't hate you."

" Me?" He points a finger to himself and pretends to be surprised.

" You are Xellos, aren't you?" I ask him, gulping as I do so. He smiles wildly.

" Why, I believe I am! How did you come to that conclusion, little Val?" 

" I had my suspicions ever since I saw you smile at me, but they weren't confirmed till just now. I never told you my mother's race, I never told you she was a dragon."

" You are a smart boy, but why did you continue to converse with me even though you thought I was the evil Mazoku priest?"

" Uh, I don't know. I guess I wanted to see if what my mother says is true."

" Is she right?"

I don't answer, and instead, I just smile. 

" It was nice talking to you, but I must really be on my way home." He stands up and looks down at me.

" I will take you home, since you will most likely get lost again."

" But you don't know where I live!" I exclaim.

" Oh, but I do." My eyes widen.

" How?"

" Now that is a secret!" And before I could say anything, Xellos grabs my hand, and we both faze out of the forest.

Me and Xellos reappear in front of a very familiar building. My home. And there, swinging from the sudden wind, was the faithful sign. " Filia Ul Copt's Pottery and Exotic Teas". I take my eyes off the sign and look up to my mother's old traveling companion. He's staring at the door, a serious expression for once on his face. I speak up after a few minutes, snapping his attention from the thick, wooden door to me. He puts on his cheery expression as he looks down at me, but it didn't seem as real this time...

" So, aren't we going in?" My voice was quiet, for I didn't want to wake up my mother.

He pats my head, and ruffles my hair. I grimace and try to put my hair back to the state it was before, while he let's out a chuckle.

" You go ahead."

My hair suddenly becomes not important, and instead my eyes widen as surprise fills me. He's not going in with me? 

" Just me? But what about you?"

He crosses his arms and looks up at the old, tattered sign in which I was staring at a few minutes earlier. He replies, but doesn't look at me. His serious expression once again placed on his face, though his eyes were still closed.

" Maybe next time-" I let out a sigh and look at the ground. He takes his eyes off of the sign, and notices my disappointment, for he kneels down to my height, takes my chin and lifts it so that I'm staring at him. He opens one eye and smiles.

" -when you decide to try to run away again." I smile too. 

" Val? Val!? Are you out there?!" I turn to the door and find my mother holding a small lighted candle, a worried expression on her face. But once she sees me, I see her eyes light up. She runs to me, arms open, and scoops me up. It felt good to be home. 

" I was so worried about you Val! I'm sorry, just promise me you'll never do that to me again!" She cuddles me and hugs me. I guess she does love me...Wait! Xellos! I turn to where he was standing...he wasn't there. He was gone...

" But where did he...?" My mother looks at me, confused. 

" Where did who go, dear?" My mother puts me down, and I look around once more. No one. She takes my hand and we both walk to the door. I scamper in, followed by her as she shuts the door and locks it. I go to the window and decide to take one more look. My mother comes to the window as well, looking out to see what it was or who it was I was trying to find. Seeing nothing but darkness, she turns to me.

" Who are you looking for, dear?" I give up my search and walk to the tea table by the stairs. Looking at my hands, I find that I am still wearing his gloves...well, he'll have to be back for these, I reasoned. I take them off, one at a time, and gently place them on the table. 

" Oh, no one mother." She arches an eyebrow at my response, but brushes it off as child's behavior. I cover my mouth, as I feel a yawn, and decide it was time for me to head upstairs. I start on the first step, glance at my mother who was blowing out all of the assorted oil lamps and candles in the house, then continued up to my room.

But as soon as I change into my pajamas, I remember that I had forgotten my usual glass of water. So I stand up from my bed, and very slowly and carefully, made my way down the steps once again. But I quickly stop on the third stair from the top. I stop and stand still, and watch the scene that was unfolding before me. 

My mother had come across my gloves, for she was staring at them with widened eyes now. She knew. I could tell from her eyes that she knew of who the gloves belonged to. I continued to watch. First, while quivering, she picked up the gloves, turning them and fingering the material. Her eyes close for a second, but they open once again. She looks around, I duck, and hope she doesn't see me. She doesn't, her eyes pass over me. Her eyes pass over me, and travel to the window. 

I get up from my ducked position, just enough for me to see her turn and walk to the window. She glances outside frantically through the thin piece of glass, eyes still wide and hands still clasping the gloves to her chest. I see that she sees nothing, but she's still determined , for she runs to the door and opens it. I bite my lip and shiver as the cool, night breeze is let in. She walks out the door, and I was ready to run down the stairs to get a better view of her, but she comes back in. I guessed she didn't see him. But I did hear her whisper to the outside, just before she closed the wooden door. And I smiled as my ears picked up on what she had said.

" Thank you namagomi..."

~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Aw! I love this story! Definitely one of my favs! But it doesn't matter what I think! It's what YOU think! So please review!!! Pretty please?! ^^

~Harlequin


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